221 Back From The Dead

"Yes, sir!"

Soldiers ran about from all directions. There were shouts, the clatter of spears, the whicker of horses. All sounds of men preparing for battle.

"Holy crap" Fan Mingli watched everything around him nervously. The sword in his hand quivered.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grip his shoulder. When he turned his head, Fan Mingli saw An Sun staring back at him with a firm expression.

"Are you okay?"

Fan Mingli pursed his lips before he replied honestly, "J-Just a little nervous."

An Sun stared at him silently for a moment. He sighed heavily.

"Listen to me, the first battle is always the scariest, but remember…remember what you're fighting for. Who you're fighting for."

Fan Mingli gave a tremulous nod, working up his courage with a visible effort. Slowly he swiveled his head. His eyes widened at the scene of fire up ahead, but An Sun held his arm so he could not turn away.

"War is only sweet to those who haven't experienced it. It's too late to turn your back on it now." An Sun's deep voice echoed through his ears, causing his trembling body to become still.

Biting his bottom lip, Fan Mingli tightened his hold on the sword in his hand.

"All right." He nodded his head seriously, eyes more blazing than the flames burning in the distance.

A smile made its way onto An Sun's face. He chuckled and patted Fan Mingli on the shoulder.

"Any man who runs, I'll cut him down myself!" General Donghai was roaring when he caught sight of An Sun and his men. "All of you, stop standing around like a group of little wusses and go defend the front. The Tuhan men have made it to the wall."

They all nodded their heads and rushed toward their stations where the others stood. The sound of bodies falling to the ground and men's shouts could be heard on the other side of the gate.

The soldiers standing guard held their swords in hand as they peered far into the distance, the blood within them boiling, every nerve within their body stretched tautly.

Just then, from above they heard a soldier shout.

"The Tuhan are climbing up the wall!"

The soldier's shout in shock suddenly made everyone freeze. The moment that his voice fell, a thundering bang suddenly sounded behind the gate.

Almost like an explosion!

Behind the wall, flames surged towards the sky, painting the dim sky in a red glow. An Sun's eyes shot wide open from the sudden realization. Looking up at the wall, his eyes narrowed. He could hear shouts coming from above, followed by the crackling sound of flames.

"General!" A soldier frantically ran toward General Donghai, his face red. "Advisor Lan ordered to have all the citizens in the city evacuated!"

"Is that so…" General Donghai grunted. Looking at a soldier beside him, he carried out the order. "Follow out the citizens' escape plan, quick!"

"Yes, general!"

Turning toward the front of the gate, General Donghai could hear and see something heavily pounding against it. Cracks were already forming in the wood, the force of the men behind it bending it forward. Very soon, they would break through the gate.

"Defend the wall!" General Donghai's shouts could be heard from the side. "We'll beat them till they cry for their mothers! Any man who returns with a clean sword, I'll cut off his leg!"

With that thunderous roar, all the men from within the group stood forward at once. Hot blood pumped within the chests of the men.

An Sun saw the scarred faced man charging toward the front of the gates. He looked up at the wall one last time, then retracted his gaze and unsheathed the sword at his hip, facing the city's gates. The moment the gate doors swung open, the true battle lay before them. Without hesitation, An Sun ran into the raging crowd!

...

Smoke rose in all directions, and anguished wails could be heard throughout the city. The citizens, who were escorted by a group of soldiers, escaped with heavy hearts. They could hear the sounds of slaughter behind them. Their legs felt weak, but the longing to survive pushed them, as they continued moving forward.

In the battlefield, General Donghai was the first to reach the enemy, leading a wedge of armored veterans, sharp steel points ripping through their chests. An Sun saw a dozen men go down. All around was nothing but a whirlwind of disorder and violence, a blur of color and vicious motion.

Deafening, the blood pounded in his ears, drumming to a ferocious beat inside his head. As sweat stung his eyes, An Sun's head shifted to the sound of a loud, abrupt shout that pitched in his ears. The sound was barely enough to obscure the cries of men, the screams of injured beasts, and the thunder of steel striking steel. But he heard it.

Within his sight, a Tongshu soldier's body had plummeted to the hard earth in an instant as the depths of a large sword plunged into his abdomen. Blood pooled from his chest as the man responsible extracted his sword mercilessly, his eyes catching sight of An Sun.

However, An Sun hadn't met the gaze of this individual, instead, he quickly lunged his sword toward an enemy sneaking behind him. His teeth clenched as he fought against the sudden attack. The long sword gripped within his hand, swung in an arc, the man's throat bursting open as blood sprayed through the air, adding to the already foul stench in the battling field. The body plummeted to the ground along with the many other corpses.

Shifting his gaze with a heaving chest, An Sun's eyes met with the same man from before, who was now marching toward him aggressively, his feet chafing against the dirt. It was only now that An Sun recognized the man charging toward him.

The man's ill-lit eyes revealed the belligerent intent within his gaze, as his bloodied ax dragged by his side, fresh blood still coated on the steel.

Bracing himself, An Sun's back straightened with a sharp inhale as his legs moved toward the man with long strides, the sword positioned to the right of his body. Both of his hands held the hilt of his sword strongly, the veins on his hands protruding.

The two proceeded closer with wrathful gazes until they were only a few feet apart. Suddenly, the man across from him curled his lips into a sneer. However, his eyes were anything but amused. Beneath his scornful expression was pure madness.

"Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see the day when my little brother came back from the dead." The color in An Ruo's dark eyes pulsed with bits of a fiery murderous aura.